DALE ABBEY, formerly extra-parochial, is now a large and scattered
parish, one mile south-east from West Hallam railway station on the
Great Northern line, 3 south-west from Stanton Gate station on the
main line of the Midland railway, 6 east-north-east from Derby and
10 west from Nottingham, in the Ilkeston division of the county, hundred
of Morleston and Litchurch, Smalley petty sessional division, union
of Shardlow, Belper and Ilkeston county court district. The chapel
of All Saints is an ancient and interesting edifice of stone, consisting
only of chancel and nave and possessing scarcely any or the characteristics
of an ordinary church and comprising under the same roof an old oak-timbered
farm residence called the "Guest House". Tradition says
that about 800 years ago the then lord or the manor, while out hunting,
discovered a hermit dwelling in a forest cave which he had excavated
in the solid rock, and which still exists about 300 yards to the south
: for this hermit a house and chapel were built, on the site, as is
supposed, of the present edifice: the oak pulpit is dated 1634, and
near it is an alabaster tablet, erected by the parishioners, to Philip
Henry, 4th Earl Stanhope and lord or the manor, d. 2 March,
1855 : the font, which originally belonged to the abbey, is octagonal,
and the sides are carved alternately with figures and shields, now
much mutilated : there are about 100 sittings. The register of marriages
dates from the year 1684, and of baptisms and burials from 1702. The
living is a donative, annexed since 1702 to the rectory or Stanton-by-Dale
and is served by the incumbent of Stanton. Here is a Wesleyan chapel:
the locality affords coal and ironstone of excellent quality. Here
are the ruins of the abbey of Le Dale or De Parco Stanley, originally
founded in 1160 by Serlo de Grendon, for Austin Canons, from Calke,
and, on their ejection by the king, occupied for 7 years by Premonstratensians,
from Tupholme (Lincs), in 1195 : it was endowed by W. de Grendon for
Premonstratensian Canons from Newhouse (Lincs), and was afterwards
refounded in 1224 by William Fitz Rauf, seneschal of Normandy, and
Geoffry Saltmarsh or de Salicosa Mara : the site, at the Dissolution,
was given in 35 Hen. VIII. to Francis Poole: only the outline of the
east window of the choir, the foundations of part or the church and
the bases of a few of the clustered pillars remain, though many interesting
relics have been occasionally discovered and are shown to visitors.
Earl Stanhope is lord of the manor of Dale, and holds a court leet
yearly, and is principal landowner. The soil is partly sand, marl
and clay ; subsoil, various. The chief crops are wheat, oats and grass.
The acreage is 1,758, rateable value, £2,639; the population
in 1881 was 408.